Baseball Game Preview: Burke Bulldogs vs. Gretna East Griffins

The Burke Bulldogs will be taking part in a tournament against the Gretna East Griffins at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

Burke fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Omaha Central on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 4-3. The Bulldogs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Sean Holland was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).

At the plate, Sladen Bragg was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Gretna East's offense. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pius X on Tuesday. The loss put an end to the Griffins' undefeated start to the season.

Colton Nicholson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in April of 2024.

Having lost for the first time this season, Gretna East fell to 2-1. As for Burke, their record is now 1-3.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Burke has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gretna East struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Burke came up short against Gretna East in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 7-3. Can Burke avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.